Catalytic and process of making same.



macaw.

THEODORE J.

WRAMPELMEIEB, OF BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA.

CATALYTIC AND raocnss or axine SAME.

No Drawing.

Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed June 19, 1908. Serial No. 439,425.

Patented Feb. 8, 1910.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THEODORE J. WRAMPEL- MEIER, citizen of the United States, residing at Berkeley, in the county of Alameda and State of California,'have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Catalytic-s and Processes of Making Same, of which the following is a specification.

In the manufacture of sulfuric anhydrid by the contact process, ferric oxid is sometimes used as the contact or catalytic agent.

The ferric oxid thus used is usually in the form of cinder resulting from the roasting of iron pyrites. Pyrites may be roasted in the form of lumps or in the form of fines. When the cinder is to be used as catalytic material the pyrites is roasted in lump burners, for the reason that it is necessary to have the cinder in lumps so that, when placed in the contact oven or converter, the gases can pass through the mass easily. The cinder resulting from the roasting of pyrites fines is too finely divided to be used in its natural condition, in the stationary contact oven, as it would offer too great resistance to the passage of the gases andwould give ofi too much dust. Lump pyrites must be roasted in hand furnaces which requires much labor, whereas fines pyrites can be roasted in mechanical furnaces, and at very much less cost for labor and plant. Furthermore, in some 10- calities, lump yrites cannot be obtained as cheaply as es pyrites; in others not at all.

The object of my invention'is to enable finely divided ferric oxid, more especially of the cinder resulting from roasting of fines pyrites to be successfully used as a catalytic material for the manufacture of sulfuric anhydrid by the contact process. I accomplish this object by mixlng the finely divided iron oxid or pulverulent pyrites clnder with a binding or agglomerating agent which will not interfere with its catalytic action and thus forming it into lumps of a suitable size for the contact oven.

In the production of my binding agent I employsulfuric acid which has the property of agglomerating the finelydivided erric oxid or pulverulent pyrites cinder into firm lumps and forming therewith a product which, after being I highly eflicient heated with the ferric oxid or cinder is capable of itself exercising catalytic action.

The finely divided oxid of iron, or pulverulent pyrites cinder is mixed with sufiicient sulfuric acid, preferably somewhat diluted, to form a plastic mass. This mass is heated until the water and any excess of sulfuric acid are driven off andit is thus con- 'verted into hard porous crusts which are then broken u I have found 1t the mass on a into lumps of suitable size. most satlsfactory to spread hot surface and, when it is thoroughl caked, to increase the temperature to a all red heat.

It is to be understood that when the agglomerated cinder is subjected to the high temperature of the contact oven the ferric sulfate formed by the action of the sulfuric acid on the cinder is decom osed forming ferric oxid which notonly e ectively binds the pulverulent cinder together but at the same time itself acts as a catalytic agent.

Heretofore, it has been proposed to agglomerate fine pyrites cinder into lumps by means of a clay binder, but this is unsatis factory by reason of coating the catalytic agent with an inert material and diluting the cinder with a valueless material. The addition of clay not only decreases the value of the cinder as a catalytic, but also increases the difliculty of subsequ'ently treating the cinder, as for extraction of metal contained therein and in some cases renders it unfit for such subsequent treatment. By em loying an agglomerating agent, which Wlll form firm and compact lumps and which, after heating produces, in said lumps, a binding material which itself exercises a catalytic action, the above mentioned disadvantages are avoided and a catalytic agent, in lump form, produced from finely divided pyrites cinder which is in its action, and which can be handled and integration.

While I am aware that I am not the first to form pulverulent pyrites cinder into lumps, I am so far as I am aware, the first to form any finely divided catalytic material into lumps by means of a binding a cut capableof forming with the finely divlded mass, a material capable of exercising catalytie action and such last named process,

used without injurious dis-' and troublesome aci is employed.

finely divided catalytic material eld to-' gether by a binding agent which is'itself capable of exercising catalytic action.

have found that some measure of success-may be attained by the emplgyment of solutions of the various metallic s fates, as for example ferrous sulfate, but as the binding action of these compounds is slight,

their use cannot be recommended unless the pulverulent pyrites cinder and the metallic sulfate solutlon are molded or pressed into sha e which is unnecessary when sulfuric Having described my invention I claim:

1. The process of makmg' a catalfiic from finely divided catalytic material w 'ch consists in binding said material together by means of an agglomerating agent ada ted tocombine therewith and form a ea 'c material.

2. The process of making a catal 'c from finely divlded catalytic material w ch consists inbinding said material together by means of an agglomerating agent, adapted to combine therewith and form a catalytic material u n the application of heat,'and heating said finely dividedmaterial and agomeratingagent. y g 3. The process of makin a catalytic which consists in binding ely divided p 'tes cinder together by means of an agg omerating agent adapted to combine therewith and form a catalytic material u on: the application of heat thereto, and heating said cinder and agglomerating agent. J

4. The process of making a catalytic which consists in ag lomeratlng finel vided pyrites cinder y means of s furic acid and heating the resulting agglomerated mass.

gyrites cinder held or bound together by a agent capable of exercising catalytic action.

- In testimony whereof I affix my signature 5. A catalytic consisting of finely divided 

